Different Tucks for Different Folks

April 15, 2016

Certain conditions all gang up on you to give you that paunch in the lower abdomen. Pregnancy, significant weight fluctuations, even simple aging can all play a role.

Unfortunately, this is one area of the body that is stubborn like your mother-in-law. When the muscles in the lower abdomen become lax they are very difficult to do much about, diet and exercise be damned!

Why is this? Once skin is stretched for a period of time it can never return to its former level of tautness.

But Dr. Malamet can give you back the stomach you once had with a tummy tuck, formally known as abdominoplasty. A tummy tuck can be handled in a few different methods, basically the amount of aggressiveness employed to slim your abdomen. In every procedure, however, there is a basic surgery. An incision is made and the weakened underlying muscles are tightened and reattached, and tissue is re-contoured. Excess skin is then trimmed away and excess fat is removed, if possible. Then the tighter skin is re-draped and sewn back together. The result is a smoother, far tighter abdomen. A tummy tuck can also be combined with liposuction when there are unwanted pockets of fat in addition to over-stretched muscles. Dr. Malamet will discuss these possibilities during your consultation.

Here are three tummy tucks:

Mini tummy tuck

A mini tummy tuck is meant for those with only a small amount of excess abdominal skin and fat that is located below the belly button. The incision is made below the bikini line and is smaller than with other tummy tucks.

Full tummy tuck

This is the most common tummy tuck and aims to remove a significant amount of excess skin and fat. Muscles are tightened and re-attached. There may be two incisions, one at the belly button and one on the bikini line. This will depend on your personal situation. The incision in a full tuck usually runs from hipbone to hipbone and is made below the bikini line.

Extended tummy tuck

This tummy tuck extends the length of the incision to run around the flanks. It usually also involves liposuction to remove fat in the flanks.

If you’ve tried diet changes and exercise, but can’t get that stomach to cooperate, a tummy tuck with Dr. Malamet could be the answer. Call us at 818-380-3130 and schedule a consultation.

Stock model images are used throughout this website and are for illustrative purposes only. All before-and-after photos and patient testimonials on our site are from actual patients, and have been published with permission. Individual results may vary.